Saudi-led coalition airstrikes in Yemen kill seven

At least seven people have been killed in Saudi-led airstrikes carried on the Khawlan district, southeast of the Yemeni capital Sanaa on Monday.

Five deaths in Khawlan were reported by the Houthi-run Saba news agency, while the death of two women was confirmed by residents to Reuters in strikes on Qubaita district, located between the Taiz and Lahej provinces.

Al-Masirah television, another Houthi-run outlet, also reported that a Yemeni had died after shelling from the Saudi border.

This round of strikes follows days of fierce fighting between 
pro-government forces and Houthi rebels in Yemen, in which at least 55 people have been killed.

Seventy others were wounded in the fighting that raged across Taiz, Bayda and Marib.

Meanwhile, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon headed to Kuwait on Sunday to try and rescue negotiations between Yemen's rival groups.

Ban urged Yemeni negotiators to hasten in coming to an agreement as time was simply not on the side of Yemen's population who are currently exposed to food shortages, violence and a near collasped economy.

"There is an alarming scarcity of basic food items. The economy is in precarious condition," Ban said.

"While the cessation of hostilities is mostly holding, there have been serious violations, causing further casualties and suffering among the civilian population, including children."

The UN chief's intervention follows two months of stop-start talks between representatives of the government of Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and Houthi Rebels allied to former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. 

Since the war began in March 2015, the UN estimates that 3,539 civilians have been killed in Yemen, coupled with a further 6,268 injured.